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''Minsara Kanavu'' () is a 1997 Indian
Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nati ...
-language
musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...
romantic drama film Romance films or movies involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion (emotion), passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typica ...
that was co-written and directed by
Rajiv Menon Rajiv Menon (born 20 April 1963) is an Indian filmmaker who has worked as a film director, director and cinematographer in several Indian regional film industries. After making his breakthrough as a film cinematographer with Mani Ratnam's drama ...
. The film stars Arvind Swamy, Prabhu Deva, and
Kajol Kajol Devgan (née Mukherjee; born 5 August 1974), known mononymously as Kajol, is an Indian actress. Described in the media as one of the most successful actresses of Hindi cinema, she is the recipient of numerous accolades, including six F ...
in her Tamil debut, and revolves around Priya (Kajol), a convent student who wants to become a nun. Having returned to India from his studies overseas, Thomas (Swamy)—Priya's childhood friend—falls in love with her following their first meeting at her convent. With the help of hairstylist Deva (Prabhu Deva), who is known for his ability to change woman's minds, Thomas tries to dissuade Priya from her ambition but both of them fall in love with her. AVM Productions wanted to make a film to celebrate their
golden jubilee A golden jubilee marks a 50th anniversary. It variously is applied to people, events, and nations. Bangladesh In Bangladesh, golden jubilee refers the 50th anniversary year of the separation from Pakistan and is called in Bengali ''"সু ...
in 1997. The project, which would be titled ''Minsara Kanavu'', was produced by M. Saravanan, M. Balasubramanian, and
M. S. Guhan M. S. Guhan is an Indian film producer. He has been involved in hits such as '' Sivaji: The Boss'', '' Thirupathi'', ''Minsara Kanavu'', ''Leader (2010 film)'', and recently Ayan. He is the son of noted producer M. Saravanan, who owns the AVM ...
. Menon responded to an advertisement for a director and cinematographer, and made his directorial debut with the film. Venu and
Ravi K. Chandran Ravi K. Chandran is an Indian cinematographer and film director known for his works in Hindi, Malayalam, and Tamil-language cinema. He is the founding member of the Indian Society of Cinematographers (ISC). His most recognized works are '' Minsa ...
completed the
principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...
, and Prabhu Deva choreographed the film.
A. R. Rahman Allah Rakha Rahman (; born A. S. Dileep Kumar; 6 January 1967) is an Indian music composer, record producer, singer and songwriter, popular for his works in Indian cinema; predominantly in Tamil and Hindi films, with occasional forays in int ...
composed the soundtrack, which received positive reviews, and the songs "Mana Madurai", "Strawberry", "Thanga Thamarai", and "Vennilave" became popular. ''Minsara Kanavu'' premiered on 14 January 1997 during the Pongal festival and ran in theatres for over 175 days. The film was a commercial success in Tamil, though it initially opened to mediocre box-office earnings, but performed poorly in North India and
Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...
. Critical reception to the film was mixed-to-positive; the plot, the cast's performances—particularly that of the lead actors—the screenplay, the cinematography, and the soundtrack were praised. The film won several accolades, including two Cinema Express Awards, one
Filmfare Awards South Filmfare Awards South is the South Indian segment of the annual Filmfare Awards, presented by the Filmfare magazine of The Times Group to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Indian film industry encompassing ...
, four
National Film Awards The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorat ...
, one Screen Awards, and three
Tamil Nadu State Film Awards Tamil Nadu State Film Awards were given for excellence in Tamil cinema in India. They were given annually to honour the best talents and provide encouragement and incentive to the South Indian film industry by the Government of Tamil Nadu. The aw ...
.


Plot

Priya is a young student at a convent; she is known for her friendly, bubbly, and precocious nature. Priya's father Amalraj is a widower and a clothing industrialist who expects Priya to look after his business but her main ambition is to become a nun. Amalraj tries to stop this by unsuccessfully trying to arrange a marriage for Priya. Thomas, a
non-resident Indian Overseas Indians ( IAST: ), officially Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and Overseas Citizens of India (OCIs) are Indians who live outside of the Republic of India. According to the Government of India, ''Non-Resident Indians'' are citizens of In ...
, returns to India after his studies to look after his father James' business. James, a former associate of Amalraj, had set up his clothing business opposite Amalraj's factory. Amalraj dislikes James due to his boorish and clumsy attitude, even though Thomas and Priya are childhood friends. Priya, after several years at the convent, unexpectedly meets Thomas, who is visiting his aunt, the
Mother Superior An abbess (Latin: ''abbatissa''), also known as a mother superior, is the female superior of a community of Catholic nuns in an abbey. Description In the Catholic Church (both the Latin Church and Eastern Catholic), Eastern Orthodox, Coptic ...
of the convent. He takes Priya's help in surprising his aunt with a gift on her birthday, and falls in love with Priya but is unable to tell her. Thomas is shocked when he finds out about Priya's ambition to become a nun; he approaches a hairstylist named Deva, who is known for his ability to change women's minds, to stop her ambition. Deva is hesitant but accepts. Deva and his friend, a blind, aspiring musician named Guru, befriend Priya and persuade her to join their music troupe. Priya's singing talent helps the troupe gain recognition and they are approached to audition for a film. Deva, Guru, and the rest of the troupe play tricks to make Priya fall in love with Thomas. Deva soon realises that he is also falling in love with Priya. Complications arise when Priya reciprocates Deva's love and Thomas, with the help of Deva, declares his love to Priya. Priya finds out about Deva's reason for his association with her and, feeling betrayed, decides to return to the convent to undergo nun training and fulfil her ambition. She quits Deva's and Guru's troupe. Deva tries to persuade Priya to remain with the troupe but he gets into a serious accident and falls into a
coma A coma is a deep state of prolonged unconsciousness in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light, or sound, lacks a normal wake-sleep cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. Coma patients exhi ...
. Priya undergoes the training but cannot forget Deva. Deva recovers from his coma and is visited by Thomas, who is upset and angry but realises Deva and Priya are meant for each other. Thomas rushes to the convent on the day Priya is to become a nun and, with the help of the Mother Superior, changes her mind and persuades her to marry Deva. Thomas, now a priest, baptises the daughter of Deva and Priya, who are married. Deva is looking after his father-in-law's business and Priya is working as a full-time singer. Guru has become a renowned music director but is facing charges of
plagiarism Plagiarism is the fraudulent representation of another person's language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions as one's own original work.From the 1995 '' Random House Compact Unabridged Dictionary'': use or close imitation of the language and thought ...
; James redistributes his wealth to everyone.


Cast

* Arvind Swamy as Thomas Thangadurai * Prabhu Deva as Deva (Voice dubbed by Vikram) *
Kajol Kajol Devgan (née Mukherjee; born 5 August 1974), known mononymously as Kajol, is an Indian actress. Described in the media as one of the most successful actresses of Hindi cinema, she is the recipient of numerous accolades, including six F ...
as Priya (Voice dubbed by Revathi) *
Nassar Nassar ( ar, نصار, lit=helper, protector, supporter, victory-maker), is a given name and surname, commonly found in the Arabic language. Alternative spellings of this name, possibly due to transliteration include Naser, Nasser, Nasir, Naseer ...
as Guru * Girish Karnad as Amalraj * S. P. Balasubrahmanyam as James Thangadurai *
Prakash Raj Prakash Raj (born Prakash Rai; 26 March 1965) is an Indian actor, film director, producer, television presenter, and politician. Known for his works in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi, and Malayalam-language films, he is the recipient of several ...
as Jaipal * Arundathi Nag as Mother Superior *
Janaki Sabesh Janaki Sabesh is an Indian media professional, actor, model, storyteller, author of children's book, theatre and voiceover artist. Throughout her film career, she has played the "screen mother" to several leading actors, appearing predominantly ...
as a nun * Gautham Vasudev Menon as a bystander


Production


Development

AVM Productions wanted to make a film commemorating their 50th anniversary in 1997. They wanted the film ''Minsara Kanavu'', which was produced by M. Saravanan, M. Balasubramanian, and
M. S. Guhan M. S. Guhan is an Indian film producer. He has been involved in hits such as '' Sivaji: The Boss'', '' Thirupathi'', ''Minsara Kanavu'', ''Leader (2010 film)'', and recently Ayan. He is the son of noted producer M. Saravanan, who owns the AVM ...
, to revolve around young people. Before choosing a director, the three producers approached Prabhu Deva to play the male lead and
A. R. Rahman Allah Rakha Rahman (; born A. S. Dileep Kumar; 6 January 1967) is an Indian music composer, record producer, singer and songwriter, popular for his works in Indian cinema; predominantly in Tamil and Hindi films, with occasional forays in int ...
to compose the music. Rahman suggested his friend
Rajiv Menon Rajiv Menon (born 20 April 1963) is an Indian filmmaker who has worked as a film director, director and cinematographer in several Indian regional film industries. After making his breakthrough as a film cinematographer with Mani Ratnam's drama ...
, then an advertisement director and film cinematographer, to direct the project. Menon thought about the offer for two months, saying he was not "mentally prepared" to direct a film. Initially reluctant, he was persuaded to direct the project by Rahman and filmmaker
Mani Ratnam Gopala Ratnam Subramaniam (born 2 June 1956), known professionally as Mani Ratnam, is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer who predominantly works in Tamil cinema and few Hindi, Telugu and Kannada films. Ratnam has won six Nat ...
, and so this became his directorial debut. Menon wrote ''Minsara Kanavu'' story, which is based on Robert Wise's 1965 film ''
The Sound of Music ''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, '' The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. Se ...
''; he also co-wrote the screenplay with V. C. Guhanathan in English.


Casting

Arvind Swamy was cast as Thomas, a non-resident Indian who, after returning from his studies abroad, meets and falls in love with his childhood friend Priya; he had earlier been Menon's replacement for the lead role in the 1992 film ''
Roja Roja may refer to: * ''Roja'' (film), a 1992 Tamil-language film by director Mani Ratnam * ''Roja'' (soundtrack), a soundtrack album from the film * Roja Selvamani Roja Selvamani (born Sri Latha Reddy; 17 November 1972), also known as R. K. ...
''. Menon's wife Latha suggested the
Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...
actor
Kajol Kajol Devgan (née Mukherjee; born 5 August 1974), known mononymously as Kajol, is an Indian actress. Described in the media as one of the most successful actresses of Hindi cinema, she is the recipient of numerous accolades, including six F ...
to play Priya, making ''Minsara Kanavu'' one of her only two appearances in
Tamil cinema Tamil cinema, also known as Kollywood is a part of Indian Cinema; primarily engaged in production of motion pictures in the Tamil language. Based out of the Kodambakkam neighbourhood in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, it is popularly called ''Kollywood' ...
—the other being in ''
Velaiilla Pattadhari 2 ''Velaiilla Pattadhari 2'' () is a 2017 Indian Tamil-language comedy drama film directed by Soundarya Rajnikanth. It is a sequel to the 2014 film ''Velaiilla Pattadhari'' and has Dhanush, Amala Paul, Vivek, Hrishikesh, Saranya Ponvannan, and Sam ...
'' (2017). He originally wanted Aishwarya Rai for the role but felt she was "too stylish" and that he wanted a woman "who looked Indian". He recommended her to Ratnam, whom he thought was better than him; she would instead star in Ratnam's ''
Iruvar ''Iruvar'' () is a 1997 Indian Tamil-language epic political drama film co-written, produced and directed by Mani Ratnam. The film, inspired by the lives of M. Karunanidhi, M. G. Ramachandran and J. Jayalalithaa is set against the backdrop of ...
'' (1997), her acting debut. Another actress, Madhuri Dixit, was chosen but she rejected the offer due to her busy acting schedule. Kajol said working on ''Minsara Kanavu'' was an "unforgettable experience", and that she was happy Menon gave her the part immediately after the earlier choices rejected it. Kajol, a non-Tamil speaker, had her voice dubbed by Revathi. Prabhu Deva, the first actor to be cast in the film, played the hairstylist Deva and also choreographed the film. The producers chose Vikram to dub him; Menon said they "wanted a new voice for Prabhu Deva". Nassar, playing the aspiring musician Guru, found the part fun and working in the film to be a "delightful experience". He described the character as high-spirited and added that "it was like, going through my youth again. Dancing, for instance—I never thought I could dance, but in this film I did it and loved it too." Janaki Sabesh, who was later known for portraying mother roles, made her acting debut in ''Minsara Kanavu'' by playing a nun. S. P. Balasubrahmanyam was chosen to play Thomas' father James. In his obituary published by ''
The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the secon ...
'' in 2020, Menon said Balasubrahmanyam was "so enthusiastic and joyous on heset", noting that it was interesting to see him acting opposite Girish Karnad, who played Priya's father Amalraj.


Filming

Venu and
Ravi K. Chandran Ravi K. Chandran is an Indian cinematographer and film director known for his works in Hindi, Malayalam, and Tamil-language cinema. He is the founding member of the Indian Society of Cinematographers (ISC). His most recognized works are '' Minsa ...
did the
principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...
on ''Minsara Kanavu'', and Chandran was credited with providing additional cinematography. Asked on his decision to not handle the cinematography, Menon said working as a director and cinematographer simultaneously could make him not "pay attention to both the departments equally". Saravanan's brother Palu's daughter Lakshmipriya, who had returned from her costume design studies in Singapore, designed the costumes. Thota Tharani finished the art direction, Vikram Dharma was the action director, and Prabhu Deva, Farah Khan, and
Saroj Khan Saroj Khan (born Nirmala Nagpal; 22 November 1948 – 3 July 2020) was an Indian dance choreographer in Hindi cinema. She was born in Bombay State (present day Maharashtra), India. She was best known for the dance form mujra and the fir ...
did the choreography. Filming took place at Lawrence School, Lovedale; in preparation, Menon interacted with several Christian priests. The song "Thanga Thamarai" was filmed at an artificial waterfall, while the filming for "Poo Pookkum Osai" took place as AVM's studios in
Madras Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
(now Chennai) and
Ooty Ooty (), officially known as Udhagamandalam (also known as Ootacamund (); abbreviated as Udhagai), is a city and a municipality in the Nilgiris district of the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located north west of Coimbatore and so ...
,
Kullu Kullu is a municipal council town that serves as the administrative headquarters of the Kullu district of the states and union territories of India, Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It is located on the banks of the Beas River in the Kullu Va ...
, and Manali. Filming took between 70 and 75 days, and the footage was edited by Suresh Urs.


Soundtrack

''Minsara Kanavu'' soundtrack album includes six songs that were composed by
A. R. Rahman Allah Rakha Rahman (; born A. S. Dileep Kumar; 6 January 1967) is an Indian music composer, record producer, singer and songwriter, popular for his works in Indian cinema; predominantly in Tamil and Hindi films, with occasional forays in int ...
with lyrics by
Vairamuthu Vairamuthu Ramasamy (born 13 July 1953) is an Indian lyricist, poet, and novelist working in the Tamil film industry. He is a prominent figure in the Tamil literary world. A master's graduate from the Pachaiyappa's College in Chennai, he first ...
. Recording of the tracks took place at Panchathan Record Inn. The film used different
raga A ''raga'' or ''raag'' (; also ''raaga'' or ''ragam''; ) is a melodic framework for improvisation in Indian classical music akin to a musical mode, melodic mode. The ''rāga'' is a unique and central feature of the classical Indian music tradit ...
s ( melodic modes) throughout the soundtrack, with the choral music being written in
Sankarabharanam Sankarabharanam may refer to: * ''Sankarabharanam'' (1980 film), an Indian Telugu-language musical drama film * ''Sankarabharanam'' (2015 film), an Indian Telugu-language crime comedy film * Sankarabharanam (raga) Dhīraśankarābharaṇaṃ, c ...
, and the song "Anbendra Mazhayile in Anandabhairavi. In an interview to ''
Frontline Front line refers to the forward-most forces on a battlefield. Front line, front lines or variants may also refer to: Books and publications * ''Front Lines'' (novel), young adult historical novel by American author Michael Grant * ''Frontlines ...
'' Balasubrahmanyam said of the recording session of "Thanga Thamarai": " required a tone that reflected the feelings of someone totally smitten and intoxicated by love. The character singing the song in the film is on a high after finding his girl." He said he tried to imitate the composer, who helped to record vocals for the singer. Rahman chose
K. S. Chithra Krishnan Nair Shantakumari Chithra (born 27 July 1963), always credited as K. S. Chithra or Chithra, is an Indian playback singer and Carnatic musician. In a career spanning over four decades, she has recorded over 25,000 songs in various In ...
for the song "Mana Madurai", which is also known as "Ooh La La La". He advised Chithra not to sing as she usually does but to completely open her voice to sing the track. The re-edited version of the track was featured on the international musical ''
Bombay Dreams ''Bombay Dreams'' is a Bollywood-themed musical, with music by A. R. Rahman, lyrics by Don Black and the book by Meera Syal and Thomas Meehan, originally produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber. The London production opened in 2002 and ran for two ...
''. The soundtrack album was released on 25 December 1996, with the cast and crew attending the event and
M. K. Stalin Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin ( , born 1 March 1953), often referred to by his initials MKS, is an Indian Tamil politician serving as the 8th and current Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. The son of the former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, Stalin ...
, the then- Mayor of Chennai, as the chief guest. Lyrics for the dubbed-Telugu soundtrack were written by Vennelakanti.
Javed Akhtar Javed Akhtar (born 17 January 1945) is an Indian poet, lyricist, screenwriter and political activist. Known for his work in Hindi cinema, he has won five National Film Awards, and received the Padma Shri in 1999 and the Padma Bhushan in 200 ...
wrote lyrics for the Hindi version of the soundtrack and a new song titled "Teri Meri Baat" was added.


Release

''Minsara Kanavu'' was released on 14 January 1997 during the
Pongal Pongal may refer to: * Pongal (festival), an annual Tamil festival * Pongal (dish) Pongal, also known as pongali or huggi, is an Indian rice dish. In Tamil, "pongal" means "boil" or "bubbling up". The two varieties of pongal are ''chakarai pong ...
festival released at the same time as Ratnam's ''Iruvar'', with which it competed. On its opening, ''Minsara Kanavu'' drew mediocre box-office earnings but it was eventually a success after running for 216 days in Chennai. On 3 August 1997, an event was held to celebrate its silver jubilee. ''Minsara Kanavu''
Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode S ...
-dubbed version ''Merupu Kalalu'', which was also released on 14 January, was a commercial disappointment. '' Screen'' suggested the possibility of the film, whose themes are intended for youths, being rejected by youths themselves. The magazine also thought that this was due to the producers, who took "a gamble in acquiring the rights of the films without knowing anything of their story or content". ''Minsara Kanavu'' was dubbed into
Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
as ''Sapnay'', which premiered on 2 May 1997 and also failed commercially. The result of the Hindi version caused Menon to stop dubbing his films into that language.


Critical reception

''Minsara Kanavu'' received mixed response from critics. S. R. of '' Kalki'' praised the film's cinematography and music but criticised the plot and found the climax tiring. K. N. Vijiyan, who reviewed the film for the ''
New Straits Times The ''New Straits Times'' is an English-language newspaper published in Malaysia. It is Malaysia's oldest newspaper still in print (though not the first), having been founded as ''The Straits Times'' on 15 July 1845. It was relaunched as the ' ...
'', likened its plot with that of a Hollywood film, finding it to be "vaguely similar. But even so, it has been adapted well to suit Indian culture." Calling the film "good entertainment", he lauded its screenplay and Kajol's performance, adding that she was at her best when she is "her naughty self or belting out songs" such as "Manna Madurai". Writing for ''The Indian Express'', M. S. M. Desai was ambivalent about the film, saying it is filled with many songs and dances that make "the pace of the narrative dull and drab". Initial responses to the soundtrack were unfavourable; ''
The Indian Express ''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932. It is published in Mumbai by the Indian Express Group. In 1999, eight years after the group's founder Ramnath Goenka's death in 1991, the group was split betw ...
'' said Rahman "fails miserably to come up with catchy numbers", but reception improved in the 21st century. The songs "Mana Madurai", "Strawberry", "Thanga Thamarai", and "Vennilave" became popular. A critic from ''Behindwoods'' stated Rahman's work is "an electrifying effort", noting it as one of the rarest albums in which all of the songs were chartbusters.


Accolades


Notes


References


Bibliography

* * *


External links

* {{Authority control 1990s Tamil-language films 1997 directorial debut films 1997 films 1997 romantic comedy films Films featuring a Best Choreography National Film Award-winning choreography Films scored by A. R. Rahman Films set in Chennai Films shot in Chennai Films shot in Ooty Films with screenplays by V. C. Guhanathan Indian buddy films Indian romantic comedy films Indian romantic musical films Nuns in fiction